The Chestnut Hill Reservoir, now about 60
years old, is the main point of water storage for Boston and the Metropolitan
District. This is where water is brought in from points west, such as Sudbury,
Wachusett, and Quabbin. Originally it was set up by the City of Boston. The
Brookline and Newton boundaries were readjusted so that the reservoir and its
grounds would be entirely within the city limits (as they were when the
reservoir was built, the water works were in Brookline, and the west basin was
almost all in Newton). Now, however, the reservoir belongs to the Metropolitan
District, and all cities and towns in the metropolis can use its water.

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The Washington Street Tunnel is the only
rapid transit line in America―or, for that
matter, in the world, as far as we can find out―where
stations have different names going in opposite directions. Northbound stations
in that tunnel are called Essex, Summer, State and Union; while southbound
stations are named Friend, Milk, Winter and Boylston. It has particularly been
noticed that Summer and Winter stations are directly opposite each other, so
that, when a train in one direction is at “Winter,” the train going the other
way stops at “Summer.” The best way to remember this is that, when you are in
“Summer,” you are bound north, while, when you are in “Winter,” you are bound
south. There also seems to be some appropriateness in placing “Friend” opposite
“Union.” This tunnel was also the origin of the idea―not
much adopted elsewhere, though somewhat used in Philadelphia―of
dropping such designations as “Street,” Avenue,” or “Square” in station names.
This practice was never attempted before 1908, and such cities as New York or
Chicago have never adopted it. Another idea worked out in the Washington Street
Tunnel, and still followed in the subway stations in Cambridge, was to have
differently colored signs in each station, so that the Union-Friend stations,
for instance, have blue decorations and trimmings, while the Winter-Summer
stations have red ones. State and Milk Stations (the green pair) are a fairly
long distance apart, though there is a pedestrian passage under Washington
Street connecting the two.

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What business could bring you to 41 School
Street? Political, probably. It is City Hall.

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Who can name a Boston street with three
double letters in its name? The name of the street is Willowwood, and it is
located in Dorchester.